The debate eclipsed by the Embassy siege
A ton of bandwidth and ink was expected in Mexico with the first Presidential debate over the weekend, but between the garish game show set, the poor (and almost comically bad) performance by Xochitl Galvéz… capped by what should have been a dramatic flourish in her last statement, undone by her displaying the national seal… upside down) what wasn’t expected was we’d all be commenting on Mexican-Ecuadorian relations.
The Debate
Looking at reliably anti-AMLO, anti-4T pundit columns in Milenio and El Universal, I could only find one or two who could argue that Galvéz “won”. As it is, the post-debate poll (Sheinbaum 54%, Galvéz 27%) doesn’t show any change from any other pre-debate poll, and whether the debate itself was a worthwhile exercise is … well… now up for debate.
Complaints about everything from the set… looking llike something meant for a game show whose contentants are on acid, to the terrible accoustics, malfuctioning time-clock, and even the questions chosen have come in for criticism.
In a way, it’s surprising… Galvéz should have performed better… showing up on a bicycle (one upping AMLO’s eschewing limosines on the campaign trail for a more proletarian Jetta) was about the last of the “woman of the people” image that could have been an asset to her campaign. As an indigenous woman from a dysfuctional family that has “made it”, she should have more appeal than she’s enjoyed. Whereas Sheinbaum, from a family of academic elites and her professorial demeanor, doesn’t scream “populist”. And, in a highly structured (although badly executed) format like the debate, it’s not surprising that Galvéz was at a disadvantage. What is suprising is how much worse she did.
Galvéz now claims the rules (giving each candidate 3 minutes to reply to questions chosen from throughout the country, and selected through some data selection process, and presented with a kind of game show format (“Do you chose questions A, B, or C? … the envelope please…”) , in three minutes. While the nature of the questions were know… health care and educational policies, protection of minority and women’s rights, and all three candidates were prepared with broadly defined proposals regarding those areas, Galvéz seemed focused on pushing … at least when it came to public health… her one proposal for a health-care card. That, and trying to paint her opponents as “corrupt”, coplete with photos of them with suspected or knwn corruptos. To which Sheinbaum parried with her own set of handy photos.
When it came to corruption, Galvéz did her best to try associating Sheinbaum with various scandals, to which Sheinbaum kept her cool, espeically when Galvéz tried to claim Sheinbaum was negligent for the collapse of a metro train bridge (killing 27 passengers) and the collapse of a private school during the 2017 earthquake (when Sheinbaum was the “alcadia” of the district). And, claiming AMLO’s sons were somehow profiting from his presidency (although I’ve yet to hear of the relations of any head of state NOT getting some advantage out of that) None of which either rattled Sheinbaum, nor was she unprepared to answer.
Worst of all, and a problem inherent to these kinds of debates, they’re open to amatuer “body language analysis”… Perhaps, she is just an animated person, but Galvéz — raising her hand as the other candidates were speaking, and moving around in her chair was noticable, as Sheinbaum sat making notes, and Álvarez Máynez (the Citizens’ Movement candidate, and forgetten man of the election) sat and smiled… and smiled… and smiled. About the best he could do is say, “I’m not one of them” and point to his left and right.
Eagar (or so it looked) to show off her collection of visual aids, led to the largest gaffe of the evening… when, in her closing statement, making a point she would fight for Mexico, her aid, the Mexican seal (the eagle on the cactus)… which I first thought was a lovely bit of needle-point she wanted to show) … was held upside down.
In a “Would you believe..?” moment, reminiscent of Maxwell Smart, the PRIAN candidate is claiming the upside down seal was no error, only that we missed the significance in her claim that Mexico is in distress, and holding the seal upside down, like in the US, flying the flag upside down, is meant as a call for help.
Considering how her campaign is flundeering, sending out a distress signal makes sense.
And, the Embassy raid
Worse luck fr the opposition coalition has come via Ecuador. While the far right has tried to justify Ecuador (anything done by this administration is just wrong… meant only to benefit “leftists”, according to Mexico’s Substack). Rather, it is in the long tradition of Mexican diplomatic history (something I’ll be posting on later tonight or tomorrow at Mexfiles.net) and has been a “rally round the flag” moment for Mexicans, taking criticism of the government off the table for a few days at least… and — given the tepid support given to Mexico by the United States and Canada — giving pause to those on the right who support a more pro-US/Canadian, i.e. neoliberal administration.